Penalty for missed jury duty should be limited, Florida Senate says

Congresswoman Lois Frankel, left, and Deandre Somerville, who served 10 days in a Palm Beach jail for missing jury duty, speak during an October news conference in front of the Palm Beach County Courthouse. (Carline Jean / South Florida Sun Sentinel)

A Palm Beach County judge caused a national furor last year by locking up a juror for 10 days when he missed jury duty. The Florida Senate responded on Tuesday by passing a bill limiting jail time for the offense to three days.

“It sends a strong message that this is something that the state as a whole has paid attention to," said Sen. Bobby Powell, D-West Palm Beach, who sponsored the bill. "Many senators believe that it was atrocious what happened to Deandre Somerville at the hands of Judge Kastrenakes.”

Powell initially wanted to ban jail time entirely for missed jury duty, but the bill was changed to address concerns from some senators that it could be too restrictive.

The proposal, though, hasn’t received a hearing in the House. Powell said he’ll be working on getting the change passed by the House.